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Defeat AV, Mr Cameron, or look a serial loser

The Prime Minister has kept his bargain with the Lib Dems. Now he must win for his party

Tim Montgomerie

February 18 2011, 12:01am, The Times

On May 6 last year David Cameron failed to win a parliamentary majority in almost perfect electoral circumstances. On May 5, 2011, he risks being the Conservative leader who presides over a change to Britain’s electoral system that makes it harder for his party ever to win a majority again.

The Tory leader offered Nick Clegg a referendum on the alternative vote as part of last May’s coalition negotiations. He told his party that the coalition would not have happened without it. Mr Cameron was in fact in a stronger negotiating position than he realised but, in haste, he gave too much away.

There are no strong pretenders to Mr Cameron’s throne and his position will not be in danger if AV replaces first-past-the-post. He…